The Great Red
by MrsBigTuna
Summary: A silly little competition may actually lead to something far more rewarding. A little Spellie fluff for the holidays.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. Any copyright infringement are unintentional. In other words, I own nothing.**_

_Summary: A silly little competition may actually lead to something far more rewarding. A little Spellie fluff for the holidays._

_A/N: This is my Christmas present to a very good friend of mine. Merry Christmas!!! As always, read, review and enjoy!_

* * *

It was just sitting there. It was right next to his English notebook and the yet-to-be-read copy of _The Great Gatsby_. It was staring up at him, mocking him as he tried to avoid its contents. It was just a silly little competition him and Jimmy had. Nothing was supposed to come out of it. But as he flicked it across his desk, Spinner Mason figured that he would never call her. It was just something to hold over Jimmy for the next couple of weeks, to prove to Jimmy that he was in the zone and therefore awesome. But who was he kidding? He couldn't even begin to think how he could strike up a conversation with Ellie Nash. He was still confused as to how he even received her phone number. It was all a bit of a blur, mostly consisting of some stupid joke, making her chuckle and him asking for her number through the same ridiculous grin. He remembered her eyes rolling, jotting it down on a scrap of paper and passing it to him with a smile smirk. He shook his head at the memory, wondering why he hadn't noticed her before. He saw her in between classes and passing through the halls, but he found her less striking but more intriguing than the Paiges and Hazels of the world.

Spinner snatched the scrap and grabbed the phone of the cradle. "Just call her already, idiot." He shook his head and dialed up the number. Almost immediately, he hung up the phone. Spinner leaned far over, his head in his hands, banging the phone against his forehead. "Don't be such a dork. She's not gonna kill you." He stood up, pacing a little when he stopped and took another breath, dialing the number slower.

* * *

The wind blew through the open window, letting in a gentle breeze that rustled the few scattered pages on her desk. She was trying to find her study sheet for Geometry when she finally came across it, with a small piece torn off at the top. She chuckled at the memory from earlier when Spinner Mason, jock and popular boy, asked her for her phone number. Ellie Nash wasn't someone who wanted in on the "in crowd" with all the hypocrisy and general stupidity of it all, but she found his silly plea kind of cute. Not that she thought that he was cute or anything, but it was definitely something more interesting than the usual coffee with Ashley or conversation with Marco. So she gave him her number, if only to say that at one time or another, one of the "cool kids" thought she was interesting too. Not that it mattered or anything, but it was nice to be noticed, even though she would never admit it.

While she was trying to shake the thought away, getting back to the staggering amount of homework she had over the weekend, the phone rang. She reached for it when her mother got the other line. "Mom, who's on the phone?"

Mrs. Nash covered the receiver, screaming from the other room. "Just a minute, Eleanor!" She shook her head. "Hello?"

Spinner's mouth went dry, not expecting her mother to pick up the phone. He half-expected to get the Chinese restaurant down the street, figuring Ellie would give him a fake number. "Um..."

Mrs. Nash rolled her eyes. "Who's calling?"

Spinner tried to think of something smart to say, but his mind went blank, as usual. "Um... who's this?"

Mrs. Nash looked at the phone as if she was imaging things. "Excuse me, but you called our residence, now who is _this_?!"

Spinner realized he had two options: 1. He could hang up the phone and forget this whole thing happened and try to talk to Ellie at school or 2. Be a man and tell her mother he wanted to talk to her now. He figured that option one was the better of the two, seeing as he made a complete idiot of himself and knew her mother wouldn't let her speak to him, but a part of him truly wanted to talk to Ellie, just so he didn't waste his time. "I'm sorry. I thought I had the wrong number." _Soothe move, Mason._ "Is Ellie home?"

Mrs. Nash sighed. "You still haven't answered my question, young man. Now, who is calling my home!"

"Um.. Spinner... I mean Gavin Mason, ma'am. I go to school with Ellie. I was just wondering if I could speak with her, please?" _Formal... good. Keeping it light and breezy._

Mrs. Nash looked at the clock, shaking her head. "Just a moment. I'll see if Eleanor is available to talk. Hold one moment please." She set the phone down, shaking her head again as she walked down the hall. "Eleanor, there's some boy on the phone."

Ellie sat up, thinking she was mistaken. She opened her door. "What was that?"

"Some _boy_ is on the phone. He says he goes to school with you." He mother crossed her arms, leaning on the door frame. "He isn't Ashley or Marco. He says his name is Gavin."

Ellie drew a blank, not knowing anyone named Gavin. She shook her head when it stroke her. _Spinner._ "Oh! I know him. Is he still on the phone?"

"I suppose so. But he was very rude on the phone. Wouldn't give me his name for the longest time." She sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be associating with young hoodlums, Eleanor. That kind of influence is the exact sort of thing that keeps you out of top universities."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure this guy isn't gonna be my downfall in high school. Just hang up the other line." She walked over to her extension, answering her phone. "Hello?"

Spinner was relieved when he heard Ellie's voice on the other line. "Ellie?"

Ellie nodded. "This is she." She rolled her eyes as she saw her mother watching her by the door. "Mom, would you hang up the phone already!"

Mrs. Nash shook her head. "I was just about to tell you that your father and I are leaving for our reservation in a few minutes. There's some meatloaf in the fridge if you're hungry and I left some money on the fridge if you wanted to order out. We'll be back around eleven." She walked over, giving Ellie a peck on the temple. "I'll see you in the morning." She walked back to the kitchen, taking the phone. "Goodnight, Gavin."

Spinner choked up again. "Oh... um, goodnight, Mrs. Nash." When they both heard her click off, Spinner sighed in relief. "Your mom... kinda scary."

Ellie chuckled. "That's nothing. You should see her when she's really on the war path. You'd need riot gear." They both chuckled when Ellie closed her door. She stood there, not really sure what to say next. She could feel Spinner feeling just as awkward. "So..."

"So..." They both chuckled through the silence, not sure what to talk about next. Spinner cleared his throat, flicking her number across his desk again. "So... watching TV or something?"

"Oh, um.. I'm actually getting a headstart on Mrs. Kwan's essay. It's due on Monday." Ellie pulled out her copy of _The Great Gatsby_, thumping through it. "Have you started?"

Spinner scoffed. "Try I haven't even cracked the book." He felt inadequate, talking to a girl who did homework on a Friday night instead of hanging out at the mall or going to the movies like every other girl he hung out with, but he had to remind himself he was talking to Ellie Nash. "Is it any good?"

"How about you read it and find out." She rolled her eyes, realizing how typical it was for him to not read the book. "But it is really good. I think it may be one of my new favorite books."

"Really? I mean, you read... for fun?" He was baffled that anyone could find enjoyment in something so dull as reading. For him, reading was like taking out the garbage or having to watch the dishes after the big Sunday meal, it was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. "But isn't it... boring?"

Ellie shrugged. "Not all books. I mean... I've read a few that I wish I never came across, but I've read others that relate to me... make me feel like I'm not the only person that thinks like that." She blushed slightly. "It's just nice to be able to feel like you're not alone." She blinked, wondering why she would say something so revealing. "I mean... I like reading alright." She bumped the receiver to her head, berating herself for letting something so personal let slip.

Spinner was silent, taking in what Ellie had said. He tried to understand what she meant, thinking about the few times he did pick up a book and read, but with his ADD, it always took so much energy to concentrate on the task at hand. He remembered thinking that some of the stories related to him, but he never could fully grasp what the author was trying to say. All he could gather was that most of the books they read in school was about overcoming some obstacle or something and the hero winning. He could have gotten the same thing on that evening sitcom. "I guess your right." He sighed, wanting to be smart enough to talk to someone like her. "But I don't get this story. I mean, from what I've heard in class, it's about some guy who makes friends with this one guy and that guy gets killed. Which sucks."

Ellie chuckled. "I guess that's one way of putting it. But it's more than that. It's... like high school."

Spinner considered what she said. "How so?"

Ellie thought for a moment before she spoke. "Well...um... you see, like Gatsby--"

"What are you doing right now?" Spinner cut her off, grabbing his book bag. "I'm never gonna figure this out on my own. Can I come over?"

Ellie heard her parents leave out the door, seeing that it was only seven-thirty. "Don't you have better stuff to do or something? Like hanging out with you friends?" She tried to resist the urge to hang up the phone, realizing that she had been on the phone with Spinner Mason for almost twenty minutes. But than another fleeting thought occurred. "Um... my parents just left." She blushed slightly, but quickly added. "But they'll be back later tonight."

Spinner grabbed the novel, stuffing it in with some other papers. "Sweet. I'll be over in twenty."

Ellie snorted. "Do you even know where I live?"

Spinner slapped his forehead. "Oh... right." After jotting down her address, he smiled into the phone. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Ellie hung up the phone, looking around her room. "Um... what the hell was that?" She sighed as she walked into the hallway, trying to neaten up before her guest, that she didn't necessarily invite, arrived. She ordered some pizza, figuring that the meatloaf was enough for her alone and only after she fixed the throw pillows on the couch did the doorbell ring. She rushed to the door, making another sweep of the place when she opened the door. She smirked, trying to play it down when she saw a red-faced Spinner, hitching up his backpack. "Hey."

Spinner scratched the back of his neck, trying not to reveal that he had nearly ran all the way over. He couldn't understand the urgency at the time, but seeing Ellie now, in her torn shirt, showing off a naval piercing and her rock-star bangles did it all seem to make sense. "Hey." They both stood there awkwardly, trying to decide what to say next. "Um... can I come in?"

"Oh, right. Sure." She allowed Spinner inside, feeling ridiculous. _Why did I let him come over?_ She closed the door when she noticed Spinner skimming her bookcase. She crossed her arms, walking beside him. "My Mom was an English major. We kind of read a lot." She looked over it herself, seeing books of all shapes and sizes, wedged between every crevice imaginable. She could see Spinner tense slightly, pulling an arbitrary book down. She smiled when she recognized the book. "This is one of my favorites."

When Spinner recognized the title, he nodded. "We had to read that one last year. I tried to read it, but I guess it went over my head."

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, well Holden Caulfield is kind of hard to understand. But it's such a great book." She ran her hand over the book, feeling slightly sentimental. She looked up, seeing Spinner with a strange smile on his face. "What?"

Spinner shook his head. "Nothing, it's just... you get this look on your face when you talk about books. Is that what you want to do?"

Ellie shrugged. "Actually, I want to be a journalist." She sat down on the couch, watching as Spinner took a seat next to her, but at a reasonable distance. "I like the hunt, you know? Finding a good story and running with it, finding what else that can be found." She looked down at the book again. "I never really thought about writing... like a novel or anything. I'm more about finding the story instead of making it up."

Spinner nodded. "Cool." He dug into his backpack, pulling out his book. "Okay, Future Victoria Sinclair..."

Ellie punched him in the arm. "Gross! I'm not going to be on TV _and _nude."

"So, just nude than?" Spinner immediately wanted to take it back, seeing the look on Ellie's face, but when he received another punch in the arm, he figured she knew it was all in fun. But for a brief moment, the thought of her being nude wasn't such a bad idea. Shaking from his reverie, he cleared his throat. "Okay, um... tell me what's so great about this book."

Ellie leaned back, trying to keep her distance. "Uh, well. You have the protagonist, Nick. And he's--"

"The what?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "The leading man in the story." She took his copy, skimming through it. "Anyway, he was from the Midwest and he went to Yale in the States and he moved to New York after he graduated. He had some relatives in the area and he stayed near them, in a small cottage type house, much smaller than his wealthy relatives, who had like these huge estates." She looked over, seeing Spinner rapidly writing notes. "What are you doing?"

Spinner nodded. "This is great stuff. You got anymore?" He watched Ellie take his notepad, putting it on the table. "What?"

"You can't really use any of that stuff. It's not gonna help on the essay. Besides, I'm sure Mrs. Kwan knows the story. It's up to you to find the story within the story, try to decipher the meaning behind it all and try to make it your own." She shook her head. "Look, I can help you, but you have to be willing to help me help you."

Spinner nodded. "Okay, deal. But I...um, I have kind of a problem. I have..." He hated confiding in other people about his condition, only his teachers and Jimmy Brooks knew about. "I have Attention Deficit Disorder... um, ADD. It's kinda hard for me to concentrate on school and stuff without taking medication. It sucks, pretty much and if I don't take it, I get all hyper and stuff." He looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "For what?"

"For.. you know, being stupid." He had a fleeting thought to runaway, avoiding Ellie Nash until the end of time, but she simply shrugged.

"First of all, you're not stupid. And second of all, we all have problems. No one's perfect." She turned closer to him, crossing her legs Indian style. "So, now that I know what I'm working with, I can make this story really easy for you."

Spinner turned to face her, watching the way the light hit her fiery red hair. He felt a lump in his throat, but ignored it. "How?"

"Remember when I said this book is like high school?" Ellie smirked as she grabbed the book again. "Well... let's just say that Nick is the new kid in school and the Gatsby is the popular boy in school, everyone wants to be his best friend, but only a few people are in the know."

Spinner nodded. "I think I get that." He moved a hair closer to her, trying to see the book. He hadn't thought studying on a Friday night would be this interesting.

* * *

Eight slices of pizza later, Ellie and Spinner were sprawled out on the floor, watching the latest episode of _Comedy Inc_. Ellie snorted at one of their usual routines, "Fake Commercials", and was relieved when Spinner laughed sincerely next to her. When it went to an actual commercial, Spinner sat up, leaning against the couch. "I can't believe I live _The Great Gatsby_ everyday."

Ellie nodded. "You do. _We_ do." She chuckled when she noticed Spinner looking at her differently. "What?"

"_You_ don't. You don't hang out with us. You know, 'the cool kids' or whatever. You just... kind of flow. Which is better than I can say for myself. I mean, I'm the real dork who thinks I'm all awesome and crap since I'm best friends with the captain of the basketball team. Big deal."

Ellie sat up, closer to him than she had been before. "But that's me. I just don't fit in with them and that works for me. But you... you do. And that's okay, too." She patted him on the back, trying to show some friendly gesture. "You're not a jerk because you hang out with them, you just hang out with them because they're your friends." She chuckled. "Besides... it's just high school."

Spinner shook his head. "You are seriously the coolest girl in school. You're light-years more awesome than Paige and Hazel." He rolled his eyes. "I know that may not mean too much, being so ultra-cool, but--"

"Thank you." Ellie tried to hide the blush that persisted to show up her neck. "Um... you want something to drink. I have more pop in the fridge."

Spinner nodded. "Sure." He watch her stand up, watching her walk away. As soon as she was out of sight, he checked his breath really quickly, hoping it didn't smell too bad. He shook his head, wondering what possessed him to do that, but when he watched Ellie walk back into the room, he was reminded again why he was so happy he got her number. "Thanks... for the pop."

"Sure." They were silent again, no doubt they both felt awkward. Ellie was still buzzing over the fact that in Spinner's eyes, she was cooler than the supposed "coolest girls in school", finding the notion liberating. She turned up the sound, watching the newest sketch when she felt Spinner's knee bump hers. She looked down when he pulled it away. _Why did he pull away_. She had the instinctive urge to check her breath, but she went along with it, watching the rest of the program. With another zinger from one of the cast mates, they both laughed, trying to forget the brief moment of silence.

Spinner had written down some more ideas for his essay as Ellie was doing some of her Geometry when he noticed the time. "It's almost 10:30. How did it get so late so fast?" He grabbed some of his papers, stuffing them into his bag. "I told my Mom I'd be home by 11. She worries if I'm late."

Ellie nodded, stretching out her arms. "Yeah. My 'rents are supposed to be back soon anyway. If my mom found out that you were over here, she'd kill the both of us in some weird double homicide."

"Yikes. I'd better go than. I've got a game tomorrow." He rolled his eyes, thinking how stupid it must have sounded. "I mean, I don't want you to get into trouble... or die."

"That makes two of us." Ellie handed him his book, when their hands gently brushed each others. Ellie tried to recover, tucking back a strand of hair as Spinner stood up to full height.

He looked down, realizing he was a few inches taller than her, making her look more like she was only fourteen than the years she seemed to possess. He had the urge to kiss her than, just to know what it would feel like to touch something so different from himself. He'd kiss other girls before. He had kiss Paige Michaelchuk at a party once and he had kissed a girl who was visiting her grandparents a few summers ago, but for the first time, he really wanted to kiss a girl. There was something he wanted to experience kissing her, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was the thought that he would score extra points with Jimmy are maybe it was the way she looked in the dim light of her living room or maybe it was the fact that during their entire time together, he didn't feel like the stupid kid in class. Whatever his reason might have been, he knew he wanted to kiss Ellie Nash.

Ellie walked him to the door, a wave of desperation overcoming her. She didn't want him to leave. She knew her mother would be beyond understanding if she found a boy, the same "rude" boy she spoke to earlier on the phone in her living room... at eleven o'clock at night. But he was different than she perceived earlier. She knew if she never gave him her number, none of this would ever happen, but for whatever reason, she found herself struggling to let him leave. "Um... this was fun."

Spinner chuckled. "Yeah, it was." He turned around, as she opened the door, walking out. He turned to face her again, seeing the same glow around her. "Uh, thanks for helping me... with everything."

Ellie nodded. "You're welcome. Any time." She hoped she didn't sound desperate or anything, but she knew that she wouldn't have minded doing it again.

Spinner smiled up at her, trying to find something clever to say. _She's really pretty_. He tried not to vocalize that too much, but before he could let out another word, he felt Ellie's lips on his own. The moment was brief, but long enough for his to close his eyes and take it in.

She pulled away slowly, not sure what to make of what she had done. She kissed Spinner... Spinner Mason. _What am I thinking? First you invite him over, tell him all these overly personal confessions and attack him. What the hell, Ellie!_ She thought about running away, but than she remembered that this was her house. She thought about slamming the door, but that was just rude.

"Why did you do that?" Spinner tried not to sound displeased, but he had to wonder.

Ellie kinda shrugged, trying to play coy. "Um... just felt like it, I guess. Wondered what it felt like." She shook her head when she felt Spinner take her hand. He slightly tugged at it, pulling her closer to him and gently kissing her.

It was longer than the first kiss, but brief enough to not be 'making out'. He pulled away slowly, smiling. "I guess I wanted to know what it felt like too." They both smiled when Ellie's eyes got wide.

"Um... I'll see you at school, Spinner. 'Bye!" With that, she slammed the door.

Spinner stood dumbfounded. "What the hell was that about?" He looked himself over, checking his breath when he looked down. _I'M STILL IN THE RED!!!_ He grabbed his backpack, holding it to his crutch and ran home, hoping to God that he didn't further embarrasses himself in front of Ellie Nash.

As she watched Spinner run down the street through the curtains, she couldn't help but laugh at him. Yes, he was one of the popular kids. Yes, he was kinda of silly. And yes, he was a good kisser. But he was and clearly would always be a boy. "Boys."

**

* * *

**

FIN.


End file.
